Traditions
by Eyesinthenight102
Summary: Aurora and Mulan ring in their first New Year in Storybrooke (AU after coming through the portal in 2x09. Sleeping Warrior oneshot)


_AN: Tumblr prompt. AU Sleeping Warrior in Storybrooke_

Aurora adjusted the tiny pink cardboard tiara woven into her hair. The glitter flittered down, peeling itself from the still-wet, cheap adhesive to land in her auburn tresses and dabble along her cheeks. The tiny flecks of silver and gold stuck to her skin, causing it to itch. She tried to brush away the bits, but to no avail. She huffed, annoyed, and turned her focus back to the television's flickering screen.

It was almost time.

Her gaze flicked to the tiny digital clock above the stove and anticipation fluttered in her heart. The sickly green numbers glared back, reading 12:59.

The TV program cut to a handsomely tanned man with an immaculate coif. Perfectly straight teeth of ivory white gleamed beneath the studio lights set up around Time's Square. "Well, folks, we're here live in the City that Never Sleeps to bring you the first glimpse at the New Year! Let the countdown begin!"

The host spread his arms wide, pointing emphatically up at the tallest building far in the distance. The camera zoomed in on a glittering crystalline ball sitting perched atop a silvery pole, its lights illuminating the darkened cloud-strewn skies of New York. Bulbs flashed in unison, alternating and blazing in synchronized patterns that flashed across the sky.

Aurora murmured in wordless wonder. The varied lands of her world held none such object. While magic and enchantments were frequent and prolific in the Fairytale Lands, the modernist world of Storybrooke lacked the subtle powers of the arcane. As a result, the people here had made do with ingenuity and hard work. Their creations were just as beautiful, sweeping, and glorious as if they had been conjured or sculpted with mystical assistance. The princess always found herself fascinated with the great advancements of this world and its people.

A huge monitor sat above the crowded square below. People were packed into the streets, shoulder to shoulder. Like schools of fish, they were slammed into the smallest possible space, vying for view and huddling together for protection against the cold. Upturned faces grinned and pointed as the numbers on the huge jumbotron ticked down to single digits.

10…9…8…7..6

Excited voices of the rabble raised themselves in discordant unanimity, as the crowd began to count in unison and the gleaming orb began its sluggish, laborious descent.

5…

"What are you doing?"

A groggy voice behind her made Aurora jump. Startled from her reveries, she turned to see Mulan rubbing at tired eyes. The warrior shuffled out of her bedroom, obviously awakened by the hubbub blaring from the TV.

"Watching the ball drop. Henry said it's a tradition of this world. A way they ring in the New Year." Aurora hastily explained, eyes flicking back to the screen, afraid to miss a moment.

"Well, what's with the crown?" the warrior asked, stepping carefully across the glitter-spattered living room rug and scootching beside her girlfriend. She flopped down heavily on the leather couch with a tired groan.

"The people here usually go to parties and wear little hats to celebrate…I figured I'd make my own."

4…

Mulan arched an eyebrow, watching the princess skeptically. "So you've been up all night, just to watch a ball slide down a pole?"

"Hush." Aurora shushed her, waving off the questions with the flick of her hand.

3…

After a long moment, the princess responded in a hurried whisper. "I'm just…trying to see how they do things here. We've been here a few months, and I'm still trying to understand where I fit in this world…Maybe…I thought if I participated in some of the traditions here, I'll feel more like I belong." The words tumbled from her lips in a rush, as if she were speaking the thought that weighed on her heart only to herself.

The young princess drew her knees up to her chest and leaned forwards, anticipation gnawed at her gut. She chewed her bottom lip.

Mulan lapsed into silence. Waiting. Watching.

2…

The ball was inches away from its destination. Aurora swore that the damnable thing hesitated a moment too long, just for the sake of mocking her with its suspense.

1.

The sphere touched the bottom of the pole, resting upon the roof of the skyscraper. The tiny ant-sized people on the screen exploded with whoops of jubilation. Confetti fell in fluttering torrents from someplace unseen, covering the streets like papery snowfall. Children laughed, while women and men of all ages cheered and whistled.

The New Year had begun. Rich and glittering with promise.

Mulan touched Aurora's shoulder gently, turning the princess to face her. In an impulsive rush she claimed Aurora's lips with wild abandon, crushing herself close and hard against the softness of the woman's face. Passion flared, vibrating in the tips of the warrior's ears with a ruddy heat. Time slowed to a crawl, and the world narrowed to only the hungry pleasure of their mouths together.

Fireworks boomed on the fringes of her consciousness. Sparking dully in the distance, the pyrotechnic explosions crackled and popped with washed out colors across the tiny TV screen.

Their lips broke apart far too soon.

"What…what was that for?" Aurora asked, breathlessly. The heat and unexpectedness of Mulan's kiss had left her dazed and reeling.

"Just respecting traditions." Mulan teased, before growing slightly softer and more serious "…and I wanted that to be your first memory… for the brand new year."

"Thank you." The princess whispered, dipping her head close until their noses nearly touched. She hesitated another moment, relishing what the closeness and contact did to her body, before pulling her warrior close and claiming her lips with another fervent kiss.


End file.
